COMPANY NEWS

COMPANY NEWS; HEALTHCENTRAL MAKES A STOCK DEAL FOR VITAMINS.COM

Published: March 17, 2000

HealthCentral.com said yesterday that it would acquire Vitamins.com in a stock transaction valued about $103.5 million. HealthCentral, based in Emeryville, Calif., operates a health information Web site for consumers and an online drugstore. It will issue about $103.5 million in common stock to buy Vitamins.com, an online provider of vitamins, minerals and supplements, adding 200,000 new customers. Vitamins.com, based in Falls Church, Va., also operates 10 retail stores and a direct mail catalog with 175,000 active customers. HealthCentral.com's shares rose 18.75 cents, to $6.875, in Nasdaq trading.